On 2 January, Luciano Ganci ends his run of five performances as Don Alvaro in La forza del destino, the opening opera of the season at Teatro alla Scala. His Leonora so far has been Anna Netrebko, and from 28 December he will be singing with Elena Stikhina.
Destiny is the pervading theme of this opera, manifesting itself through the concept of misfortune and relentless tragedy. Don Alvaro and Leonora, in particular, are victims of a fate that is destined to destroy them, despite their efforts to change their lot.
What does this opera say to a modern audience?
La forza del destino explores the concept of free will in the face of inescapable fate, leaving the audience to reflect on the extent to which the characters are in control of their lives. In a nutshell, the characters in this opera embody aspects of the human struggle against circumstance, each individual with their own interpretation of honour, love and justice.
Ludovic Tézier, Xhieldo Hyseni and Luciano Ganci in La forza del destino, photo Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2024
Verdi lets no one get off lightly in one of his most challenging scores.
The role of Don Alvaro is vocally extremely challenging and requires every possible nuance, from murmured pianissimo to desperate cry, and has arias and duets of unsurmountable beauty, from the joyous sortita, which turns immediately into tragedy, and which is key to the evolution of the whole plot, up until his final desperate murmur when he is confronted with the lifeless body of his beloved Leonora.
Jonas Kaufmann was the intended Don Alvaro for this production, and when he pulled out American tenor Brian Jagde took over, who had just finished singing the role in Barcellona. Ganci was already cast for the last performances, but this debut came earlier than planned when Jagde’s wife went into labour and the tenor rushed to be at her side.
This immense opportunity given me by Teatro alla Scala di Milano, crowned when the debut was unexpectedly brought forward following a happy event in the life of my colleague Brian Jagde, has, like many events in my career, been so rapid that only in the midst of it did I become aware of being in the temple of world opera, representing my country in such a monumental opera. Reality came before the dream.
Enjoy your last performances.
With all the love I feel for this very difficult work, I will continue to give my all in the upcoming final performances at the theatre on whose stage I lacked the courage even to dream of singing in such an important role.
Happy holidays Luciano!
With my heart full of joy, I wish all of us a holy festive season to end all conflict, at least in our souls and within our families.
Ludovic Tézier and Luciano Ganci in La forza del destino, photo Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2024
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
Renato Zanella, the Italian ballet dancer, choreographer and director, succeeds Clotilde Vayer as director of the Ballet of the San Carlo Theatre in Naples.
Dancer and ballet director Anna Razzi has died at 85. She was an étoile at La Scala and directed the ballet company and school at Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
